Scottish Government

NATIONAL 'ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES' (ESOL) STRATEGY
MAPPING EXERCISE AND SCOPING STUDY

CHAPTER FOUR THE TEACHERS

INTRODUCTION

4.1 This chapter reports findings from the questionnaire survey of teachers in the cluster areas and follow-up interviews with 13 ESOL teachers. A total of 351 teacher questionnaires were sent out to teachers in the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas, Aberdeen and Dumfries and Galloway. Teachers were contacted via the department managers to whom the questionnaires were sent (along with the questionnaires for learners). Each questionnaire was accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope so that the respondent could send the completed questionnaire directly to the Survey team. 147 questionnaires were returned, giving a 42% response rate. From Table 4.1 below, it seems that teachers who have worked in the Community education sector are under-represented in the sample: the managers' survey yielded the information that 48% of ESOL staff worked in the FE sector and 47% in the CE sector. It should be remembered however, that in Glasgow and Edinburgh the great majority of Community-based ESOL is delivered by College staff, as explained in Chapter Two.

4.2 Of the 147 respondents, 84% were female, 16% were male. Nearly 93% were native speakers of English. 28% reported using a language other than English in the classroom, and this was most often French. 86% held a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent - in subjects ranging from Agriculture to the visual arts, and nearly 41% had a degree in a language or language-related subject.

QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING

4.3 59% of respondents in all sectors held a recognised certificate and 29% had a recognised diploma ¹⁹. The managers' questionnaire, covering the whole of Scotland, gave 32% for the former, and 15% for the latter. Clearly the sample discussed here does not reflect accurately the teaching body in ESOL nationally. This is likely to be due to the much greater presence of FE in ESOL in Glasgow and Edinburgh, two of the four cluster areas surveyed, and the role of volunteer teachers outside the major cities.

Tables 4.1 to 4.4 show multiple responses to questionnaire items. Therefore the total number reflects the number of responses given as opposed to the number of respondents.

Table 4.1 English Language Teaching Qualifications & Training

Note: multiple answers

4.4 71% of respondents had attended some pre- or in-service training within the previous 12 months, and 40% belonged to an English language teaching organisation - the most common being NATECLA, SATEFL and the Glasgow ESOL Forum.

4.5 The average length of experience of the teacher respondents was 11 years (range 4 months to 39 years). The largest employer of ESOL teachers who took part in the survey was the FE sector:

Table 4. 2 Sectors respondents have worked in and sectors they are currently employed in

Note: multiple answers

4.6 Volunteers sometimes go on to take an ESOL qualification and a paid job. 36.7% of respondents had been involved in the Voluntary sector, although only 14.2% stated they were currently involved. One teacher interviewed had started like this in 1988, as a home tutor, qualified with the Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language to Adults (since discontinued) and is now a full-time permanent outreach teacher.

4.7 64% of respondents worked at a single college or centre, 21% worked at 2, and 3% taught at 4 or more centres.

4.8 The types of English teaching which respondents were most likely to have had experience of were General English, English conversation classes and Exam preparation (Table 4.3).

Table 4.3 Type of English language teaching respondents have experience of

Note: multiple answers

Table 4.4 Proficiency levels taught

Note: multiple answers

4.9 Teachers were asked about the institution which had given them the questionnaire. Only 33% of teachers who responded had had any specific training or induction when they started in this institution. Of these 55% considered the training, which lasted from 1 to more than 10 days, to have been "very helpful".

TEACHERS' VIEWS OF ESOL PROVISION

4.10 Teachers were asked for their views on 14 aspects of the provision offered to ESOL learners in the target College or Centre as shown in Table 4.5 below.

4.11 Only the welcoming atmosphere attracted a majority of "very good" ratings. Less than 1/3 of respondents considered equipment, classroom accommodation, the number and variety of classes, hours of tuition, class-size, initial assessment and tracking progress, exams, the syllabus and guidance "very good". More than _ gave three of these the lowest rating of "needs improvement": support and guidance, accommodation and equipment.

4.12 They were then asked for comments on these, or other aspects. 50 respondents offered comments. Comments on funding, quality and provision were most common. In relation to funding, cuts, capping of FE ²⁰, diversion of international student fees and underfunding of ESOL provision in CE were all mentioned.

There were more positive remarks on quality:

• "things are improving all the time" (although the same teacher complained of too much admin.).
• "we do well overall in stretching times at Anniesland."
• "generally very good provision and very positive feedback from students" [the only writer to mention the opinions of students].

Others noted the low priority accorded to ESOL :

• "this college sees ESOL as an earner, but does not always look for ESOL qualified staff giving impression anyone can teach the subject."
• "the ESOL section is at the mercy of politically and financially motivated (and unpopular) decisions by management."

4.13 On provision, most of those who wrote comments wanted more: intensive courses, single-level classes, English for work, study or business, more classes for beginners and advanced students in Edinburgh. The shortage of relevant resources also prompted several comments. Teachers wanted teaching materials designed for refugees and asylum-seekers, or non-European students more generally:

• "most EFL material is not suitable for ESOL."
• "exams and materials need to be more appropriate (too EFL)."
• "good materials for teaching basic literacy/ESOL students are not freely available."

Table 4.5 Views on Quality of Provision (%)

4.14 Two opposing views of College ESOL from the perspective of CE/VOL were given: - one teacher wrote that their centres tried to "complement the FE courses our students attend"; another reported feedback from "ex-community group students who go on to College: college learning is dull, boring, book-led with only one answer". Others expressed concerns about placing students in classes without their being consulted and how well ESOL students can be accommodated "under the adult literacy umbrella".

4.14 Teachers were then asked to select one aspect they had identified as "in need of improvement" in the target institution. 51% responded to this question. Although classroom accommodation attracted the most critical comments, it is worth noting that in both College and Community based education, students and teachers in all subjects, not just ESOL, can find themselves in unsatisfactory classrooms.

22 chose accommodation and equipment

• "again ESOL is on the periphery. All other classes are allocated rooms and ESOL is given what is left sometimes moving 3 times in a 3 hour class."
• "some classrooms are very rundown."
• "teaching in outreach centre with 2 classes in one space is not good."
• "equipment is not modern enough and is difficult to maintain/repair as am in an outstation."

20 wanted more hours or more classes or more variety of classes:

• "class size up to 35!"
• "hours of tuition = 2 hours per week. Is not enough for people whose 1st language is not a European language."
• "increase the number of English classes."
• "levels catered for - we have a lot of beginner students on the waiting list but no classes for them, but higher level classes with under 10 on a register which should be 24."
• "variety of classes."

12 chose resources, and access to resources, as their top priority:

• "it would be nice to have money to provide sets of books for students instead of my own photocopies."
• "resources are very limited - I use other colleges."
• "materials - including basic bilingual dictionaries. Including availability where working."

Initial assessment and tracking progress, support and advice and the syllabus were each chosen by 5 respondents.

TEACHING ASYLUM-SEEKERS AND REFUGEES

4.16 Of the 147 respondents, 72% taught refugees and asylum seekers and 25% of these have received specific training or support for this type of work. 59% of teachers disagreed that asylum seeker/ refugee students would be better served by attending classes designed specifically for them.46.6% felt that the College or Centre catered for these students either very or fairly well. While 15.3% felt they catered adequately, 3.1% felt they did not cater well and 2.0% felt they catered badly.

4.17 Respondents were invited to add any further comments at the end of the questionnaire. 21% wrote in comments, frequently related to provision for refugees and asylum-seekers. Some annotated their responses to the question about specific classes - for lower levels, for older students and in respect of materials and some topics some teachers believed separate classes for refugees and asylum-seekers might be preferable. Comments were also made about the lack of childcare, the lack of teaching materials for lower levels (dealing with issues that affect these students).

4.18 Other comments were on support, particularly the need for childcare, resources for beginners. 5 commented on teaching quality -

• "I teach adult literacy mainstream and 2 EAL groups. Huge variations on qualifications of EAL working group tutors (no qualifications, working on updated ITALL, degrees/PGCE)-All paid the same! Have to do updated training or will not be employed, degree and experience don't count."
• "I'm amazed that so many people are taking ESOL classes through ALN who have no experience. I have witnessed bad practice in this area (FE & Community Education)."
• "specific training in ESOL teaching seems limited. When I did my course, lots of general teacher training but the specialist ESOL unit was done without any teaching support, purely by own research & self study so I find teaching absolute beginners difficult."

IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS

4.19 Individual interviews with 13 teachers from FE College, CE and the voluntary sector in the four cluster areas concentrated on the needs of teachers and learners in ESOL, including training and continuous professional development and curriculum and assessment. Teachers with a wide range of backgrounds were interviewed - secondary teaching and VSO, lifelong EFL teaching, Business Studies at school and college. They had typically gone into EFL after trying out another career and for many different reasons. Most had taught abroad before taking up teaching in Scotland.

4.20 Nearly all had temporary contracts, often part-time, regardless of their experience and length of service in their present job. Nevertheless, they were generally positive about English language teaching and about the students they were teaching. Several had recently undertaken or were in the midst of advanced training (the Dip TESOL, an MA TESOL, a distance learning Diploma, MSc in Applied Linguistics), often paid for by themselves (teachers at Colleges where a Diploma course is taught, such as Langside, get it free). Not all had recognised TESOL qualifications.

The Curriculum

4.21 Many Colleges are beginning to adopt the revised SQA NQ ESOL Units and although these are not tied to a specific curriculum, the learning outcomes tend to imply a curriculum framework. At Anniesland, one informant reported that the curriculum was moving from a coursebook-based syllabus to level-specific course designs tied to the SQA units.

4.22 One College senior lecturer considered a national ESOL curriculum "a really really good idea", which could provide a flexible framework for coping with the varying needs of students. Most experienced teachers however showed little interest - they seemed to regard it as an unnecessary restriction. One considered that there were (in Edinburgh) so many qualified practitioners that a national curriculum would be redundant. Where they knew about it, teachers in Scotland, seemed fairly unenthusiastic about the new English ESOL Core Curriculum ("a bit too complicated, bogged down with jargon and confusing" was one informed view - although this teacher also thought there had been little discussion in Scotland). Some thought it might work with some adaptation.

4.23 In many Colleges, it appeared that coursebooks determined the syllabus and interviewees told us that although this may suit the needs of international students ("EFL" students), coursebooks were rarely relevant for students who were long-term residents..

4.24 Community-based ESOL beginner and pre-intermediate classes tended to follow "survival" English syllabuses and one teacher described her curriculum as a checklist of functions (e.g. making an appointment).

Teaching and learning resources

4.25 One of the most frequent complaints made in the interviews was that there are not "good, culturally and socially appropriate resources which are pitched at adults". While there is a multi-million pound EFL publishing industry producing highly sophisticated coursebooks, teachers' handbooks and student-friendly grammar books, these are usually targeted at young, educated and affluent European students and are rarely suitable for say Chinese restaurant workers, mothers of young children, middle-aged asylum-seekers with little education, or refugee doctors. One teacher condemned the "total and absolute absence of [teaching] material" even in a college. For lower levels, nearly all interviewees agreed that there was a dearth of relevant, usable and interesting teaching materials, especially for ESOL literacy classes: "Materials available for beginners, including newer publications, cater for international middle-class students coming over for short-term holiday courses." A volunteer tutor who was also a librarian noted the lack of interesting, entertaining reading material at the right level aimed at ESOL learners and easily available, compared with what is on offer for reluctant teenage readers. One manager also felt that teaching resources ought to be explaining British institutions and culture - this is unusual in standard EFL coursebooks. Her volunteer tutors had asked for information sheets on colloquialisms and Glaswegian expressions, customs, how to talk to their child's teacher at a parents' night and how things work in Britain. One person exclaimed "It would be lovely if there was [a coursebook] written for the British market" - including materials on British systems and culture. Some teachers, like this one, were aware of the new teaching resources being produced in England to accompany the English core curriculum, by the Basic Skills Agency. These are available on CD and so can easily be adapted to Scottish conditions.

4.26 Most teachers interviewed were prepared to make their own teaching materials and even enjoyed the opportunity to create new worksheets and activities. However, this takes time, as does adapting commercially produced materials and there is also the issue of wheel-reinvention. EFL teachers have long shared materials, usually out of necessity. Community-based teachers in Aberdeen for example, have a meeting once a term at which they often show materials they've used successfully, both self-made and published. Where they existed, much appreciation was expressed for well-managed resource centres, where teacher-produced worksheets are shared and maintained, a godsend for new teachers in particular. Nevertheless this kind of venture requires considerable staff time to keep it up to date.

4.27 It appears from discussions with teachers that it is rarely possible to give out coursebooks to students, let alone cassettes or videos, so that students can practice at home.

4.28 Teachers frequently differed from students on the usefulness of coursebooks. As the learner focus groups revealed (see Chapter Three) students like coursebooks especially if they can take them home. They can review a lesson by themselves, catch up on work they may have missed, and prepare for the next lesson. Teachers often preferred materials designed for a specific group, which means worksheets devised by themselves or colleagues in the same institution, because they will be relevant, topical, up-to-date and match the learners' own interests. A practical consideration is that most community-based classes are mixed level, and this precludes the use of a single coursebook for the whole class.

Teacher training and continuing professional development (CPD)

4.29 Most of the teachers interviewed had a recognised Certificate and some had, or were working for, a recognised diploma (Cambridge DELTA or the Trinity College Dip TESOL). Some colleges are able to fund diploma training, although this might be an early casualty of financial constraints. Two experienced teachers working in the CE sector did not hold recognised TESOL qualifications. ESOL training is not always easily accessed, or, when available, found appropriate. A teacher in Dumfries had attended a college in England - the nearest institution offering TESOL training and taken the NVQ City and Guilds 9285 with an ESOL specialist unit, but had been dismayed to find that there was no teaching practice element for the ESOL unit.

4.30 Teachers in Glasgow all had experience of teaching asylum-seekers and refugees, but none had had specific training. One teacher expressed surprise at the absence of any induction, and found his initial experiences "overwhelming". More than one noted that these students would often present with special learning needs or physical disabilities and teachers would neither be informed in advance nor be given any training. Teachers trained and with experience in EFL, where the learners are "experienced…[and] who can adapt themselves to the materials" can experience, as one such teacher expressed, it a kind of "culture shock" when they first teach ESOL students, particularly asylum-seekers. This may be particularly true for teachers with no more than the pre-service Certificate: one interviewee considered CELTA-trained teachers to be out of their depth in Glasgow colleges, and another, who was herself only trained to CELTA level found that the EFL activities she had used abroad do not transfer easily to ESOL. In contrast, one teacher expressed nothing but admiration for CELTA ("incomparably the best teacher training I'd ever had" - after many years of school teaching), perhaps because she had taught in Tanzania after qualifying, and found both that CELTA activities were successful there and that her experience in Tanzania, by giving her an understanding of different learning and teaching cultures, helped her in community classes in Glasgow. Another, after a difficult start with classes of refugees and asylum-seekers (and this informant had no teaching experience abroad, but had previously taught "EFL" type students in Scotland) now described working with these students as "a really positive experience".

4.31 Colleges are increasingly expecting new staff to have or agree to study for a diploma. A teacher who after many years of EFL teaching had recently completed the Dip TESOL at Langside College found that this training did help him to improvise, to work effectively with students with special needs and to cope with the shortcomings of the equipment and accommodation. Another teacher praised the Masters in TESOL she had taken at Stirling University as "excellent" in building confidence and helping to justify her beliefs about teaching.

4.32 Teacher organisations such as NATECLA, SATEFL and Glasgow ESOL Forum also won praise and employers generally pay towards travel and/or conference registration fees. Some however complained about the timing of meetings- almost invariably on Saturday mornings or over whole weekends, while in other college subjects CPD is built into the timetable. One was "quite shocked" when she discovered all professional meetings were held on Saturday, especially in Glasgow, where week-day meetings would be quite feasible. It seemed that hourly-paid lecturers did not normally get paid time off to attend professional meetings, conferences and workshops.

Volunteering

4.33 An Edinburgh volunteer who has worked with the same young mother for two years was interviewed for the Survey. She had been trained by Stevenson College on a 6-week course at Duncan Place Resource Centre, which had given her confidence and she continued to use the Resource Centre for support and advice from co-ordinators at regular meetings ("one of the best things about it"). She also used an Individual Learning Plan with her student, which she discussed at these meetings. Regular in-service days for volunteers helped her to find out about aspects of English language teaching, new resources and to share experiences with other tutors. Her student has young children and lives far from the nearest class. She is also shy and "inhibited - doesn't like role plays", although she has recently been accepted onto a course to help women into work. This volunteer felt that 1:1 tuition had helped her student to overcome her shyness and prepare for a class - which she felt would help her to make faster progress. She suggested that other students, especially those in full-time work, could benefit from 1:1 tuition, either as the sole form of tuition or as extra help.

DISCUSSION

4.34 In the Glasgow ESOL Survey Report of 2000, 60% (of paid staff) had a recognised certificate and 28% had a recognised diploma. Since 2000, ESOL has expanded hugely, but the proportion of qualified staff does not seem to have fallen. Nevertheless, according to results from the teachers' questionnaire, around one-third of respondents had either an unrecognised certificate (this may be a qualification for which no observed teaching practice was required) or no training or qualification at all. This qualifications gap needs to be addressed by all institutions, and by fundholders - SFEFC and ALN partnerships. There are new opportunities for training, notably in ESOL Literacy, and a trend to encourage teachers in FE to gain diploma-level qualifications. Adoption of the FENTO qualification structure in England and Wales, based on CELTA ²¹, would allow more ESOL teachers to become qualified, and could enable FE teachers to become ESOL specialists more easily.

4.35 As the managers' survey questionnaire findings showed, volunteers frequently have recognised certificates and many teachers, as the teachers' survey indicates, began as volunteers. A recognised certificate (a "pre-CELTA") for volunteers would both improve the status of volunteers and encourage volunteers to progress to further training and full certification, thus increasing the trained workforce, with people who had already shown commitment to ESOL, and gained relevant experience.

4.36 Only one third of teachers stated they had specific induction in their current roles, and only one quarter of those teaching refugees and asylum-seekers had training or support for this type of teaching. It seems clear from the questionnaire findings and the interview data that teachers need orientation and induction, particularly those whose previous experience has been mainly abroad (i.e. mainly in private language schools).

4.37 Continuing professional development (CPD) is largely the province of teaching associations, who are considered to provide an excellent service. However, in order to reach more teachers, especially part-time and hourly-paid staff, institutions need to consider timetabling this CPD during the working week.

4.38 Teachers, both those fairly new to ESOL in Scotland (although none of those interviewed had taught here for less than two years) and those with longer experience, were agreed that teaching resources were unsatisfactory, especially for students such as refugees and asylum-seekers and settled migrants. There is a clear need for coursebooks and other teaching materials which deal with life in Britain, and which could also be used for any future Citizenship courses. Institutions which are already adapting ABSSU materials for Scottish conditions need to be able to publicise their work more widely.

4.39 There is a perception amongst many teachers, that ESOL, in both FE and CE, is a poor relation in spite of its role as a major income-earner and the value of ESOL in bringing non-native speakers into the Scottish workforce. Classroom equipment and accommodation (although an issue for teachers elsewhere in both FE and CE) and support and advice for students, including bilingual support were flagged up as the most in need of improvement.